A Message from Mrs Knox

There has been a wonderful buzz around the School this week. We have had a number of visiting children, excursions, house matches and, of course, the fabulous production of Moby Dick!! Listening to the chatter from Pre-prep when they came out of the PA Hall was magical: “ that was the best thing I have ever, ever, ever, ever, ever seen!” said one pupil skipping up the path. Good luck to all of the cast and crew for the opening night tonight. We also officially opened our brand new Science Laboratories today and were joined by Deputy Head Boy James Harrison (2013-14). It gave us the opportunity to thank all of the people involved in the renovations of the labs and to hear the difference they are already making in Science lessons.  A fabulous week.

                                                                                                                           Mrs Knox


School Photographs

Gillman & Soame took individual portrait photographs in September. If you haven’t already, please order these photographs as soon as possible (but by Tuesday 30th November if you would like them for Christmas). If details have been mislaid, please contact Gillman & Soame directly at enquiries@gillmanandsoame.co.uk or on 01869 328200 quoting the security password dukeofkent528upjne2021 and they can assist.

Mrs Monk

Scott-Broadwood visit Forest School

Last Friday, Pre-prep welcomed Year 2 pupils from Scott-Broadwood school in Capel for an afternoon at Forest School. After travelling to our school site on Duke of Kent School minibuses, Scott-Broadwood pupils joined Pre-prep for ‘sticky elbows’ and to count everyone in for the session in the woods. Upon arrival at the Forest School site, all pupils enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate and a cookie around the fire. Duke of Kent children helped to explain the rules of Forest School, before all pupils had the opportunity to take part in adult-led activities including friendship bracelet weaving and archery. There was also, of course, the opportunity to participate in child-led activities and games, where pupils of both schools enjoyed balancing on the rope bridge, building dens and digging! 

It was wonderful to see the children from both schools interacting so easily and happily with one another, and a number of new friendships were formed. We look forward to welcoming more pupils from Scott-Broadwood as the academic year progresses and as our schools continue to work in partnership with one another.

Mrs Green

Kinamba Community Project

Kinamba Community Project is a wonderful grassroots project serving some of the poorest members of the community in a suburb of Kigali. Primarily focused on allowing children to access education by giving them a place to go for food and extra classes in English, Maths, Sports and Art. It also works with various members of the community, in particular women. I have supported KCP in various ways over the last 8 years and in return I have learnt so much about Rwandan life and culture.

I am heading back to Rwanda this Christmas and for once have space in my luggage therefore, I would like to take with me one of the hardest items of clothing to find, in Rwanda, bras. If you have been meaning to update your bra collection I hope this will give you a good excuse. 

Please have a look at their website and I hope you will see that it really is happy sanctuary for everyone within the community and for outsiders like me and if you do have any bras or sports bras to donate, please drop them into the Front Office before the Christmas Holidays, thank you!

https://kinambaproject.org.uk/

Mrs Lwambo

Prep and Pre-prep News

When I went around the department to ask some of the children their highlights for this week, I ended up filling an entire page of A4 with suggestions! So without taking up the entire Bulletin, I'll try to cover as many things as possible that the children have been enjoying. A highlight for most Prep pupils was watching the Senior Production Dress Rehearsal - so inspiring for them to see the older children in their dramatic element. We've also introduced a new way to celebrate pupils' reading progress this week, with Rowan B, Alexander I, Ben W (Y5) and John B being our first Rising Readers, whose photos are now on display in Prep corridor. Isla W and Charlotte C have also been doing great work reading "Aloud and Proud" with each other. In the Prep classrooms, Year 4 have been writing non-chronological reports about the natural world and Year 5 particularly enjoyed their Science experiment to see how much air a sponge can hold. Year 3 have even found time to extend their linguistic skills with a spot of Polish and Bulgarian! 

Meanwhile, Pre-prep have had an equally busy and exciting week. Reception headed on their rearranged trip to the Weald and Downland Mueseum (more of which next week!), having spent time on spending money in Maths lessons, developing key counting skills as well as recognising coins and notes. Nursery have made toadstool homes for their Forest Fairies, and Year 2 have done such a great job at showing kindness in class, Chester the Cat has awarded them extra Golden Time! Dare I say it, it's even begun to feel a little like Christmas, as Year 1 have practised their punctuation in their letters to Santa and last - but by no means least - preparations for the Pre-prep Christmas show are well and truly underway. 

Values Certificates

Effort - Henry O'B and Freddie P

Mrs Green

Star of the Week                         

                       

Nursery: Annabelle S for settling into Nursery life with enthusiasm and for making progress in all areas.

Reception: Archie H for showing excellent enthusiasm and effort in reading and phonics.

Year 1: Obie M for working diligently on her flash cards and improving her reading

Willow B for working with great care and neatness when writing her letter to father Christmas. confidence.

Year 2: Joey S for singing with the most beautiful voice during rehearsals and for delivering his lines with enthusiasm and passion!      

        

Mrs Henry

Match Reports

Netball: U16 v. Box Hill School

It was a fantastic rematch against Box Hill School on Tuesday afternoon.  The whole team started well and our defence was particularly strong throughout the first quarter and as a result were able to turnover the ball on a number of occasions finishing the quarter two goals ahead of Box Hill School. The team kept this steady pace in the second quarter and held onto a three goal lead.

In the second half, Box Hill School reconfigured their team and fronted a considerably stronger team and suddenly Duke of Kent School were having to play more strategically, using the whole three seconds for passes and fighting for turnovers. They worked hard and held on into the final quarter but Box Hill School also stepped up a gear. The girls threw some balls away and subsequently Box Hill School managed to score off our mistakes but the final score and well deserved by both teams was 21-21. Well played everyone and a big thank you to Audrey W in Year 10 for playing up with the U16's.

Mrs Woolgar

Netball: U15 v. Box Hill School

On Tuesday afternoon, the U15 team travelled to Box Hill for a netball match. The girls were in good spirits and completed an energetic warm up. Both teams started the match well with end to end play and the score finishing 4-3 to Duke of Kent School at the end of the first quarter. The U15s picked up the pace in the second and third quarter in particular, with Maddie I and Amber C working fantastically as a team and scoring over 15 goals just in the middle two quarters! Macy B controlled the game in the centre of the court, alongside Tilly C and Hannah A they worked well as a team to deliver perfectly weighted balls into their shooters. Meanwhile, and particularly in the final two quarters, Jasmine K and Imogen C made excellent interceptions and marked their players well to keep Box Hill out of their attacking third. A great team performance, especially considering the extremely cold temperatures, to win 22-10! Well done to all of the girls involved and to Maddie I for being awarded girl of the game. 

Miss Vickers

Netball: U14/15 B v. Moon Hall

Tuesday afternoon saw the U14/15 B team welcome Moon Hall College for a very competitive netball match. It was only 1-1 after the first quarter and remained close throughout with us heading into half-time leading 3-2. After a great discussion about tactics, with contributions from everyone, we headed into the second half ready to practice our longer passing to get us up the court in less time. This worked well, and combined with some great shooting from Ariane L saw us take a lead in the final quarter. Moon Hall College weren't leaving without a fight and started to get some goals back but some great defensive work from Josie B kept them at bay. The game finished with a well deserved 10-9 win and a special mention to Annabelle for her work in the mid-court.

Miss Martin

Senior House Netball Matches

On Wednesday afternoon, all the girls in Years 7 & 8 girls took part in the annual house netball tournament. It was a very chilly afternoon so a warm up and lots of movement was going to be very important to stay warm! The matches were extremely close throughout the afternoon with some great play on show! Some highlight matches include two draws for Peregrine. When they played v. Hawk, team Peregrine went 3-0 up and looked to be sailing to victory but Hawk fought back with some great goals from Tildy C to bring the score back to 5-5! A similar story for Kestrel when they were up against Peregrine, their score finished 4-4! Each match consisted of two 8 minute halves, so they were short and sharp matches. The highest scoring game was Peregrine v. Buzzard with Peregrine taking the win 7-6 in another thriller match! Once all four houses had played each other it was time to announce the teams that had made it to the final. Peregrine were through with 11 points, Hawk and Kestrel were both on 9 points so it went down to amount of goals scored, Hawk made it to the final with 11 goals compared to Kestrel's 9 goals! In the 3rd and 4th play off, it was another very close game with Buzzard just winning to take 3rd place. Meanwhile, Peregrine and Hawk were fighting it out for the top spot, Jess I and Bella S linked up brilliantly to create goal scoring opportunities and come out on top giving Peregrine the win! Well done to all the girls who took part for demonstrating great determination, effort and sportsmanship throughout the afternoon! 

The results are as follows: 

1st - Peregrine

2nd - Hawk

3rd - Buzzard

4th - Kestrel

Miss Vickers

Hockey: U14 v. Box Hill School

On Tuesday, the U14 hockey team played a match vs Box Hill School. The game was evenly contested throughout with Duke of Kent School playing some good hockey in the second half to win the match 2-1. During the match Frankie M had great movement off the ball to help the team as well some nice passing moves when she was on the ball, both Violetta P and Helena K worked well together down the right hand side and were good options for their teammates and Fleur S made some nice saves in goal to keep the team in the game. Well played to everyone involved and great determination shown especially in the second half. 

Mr Orme

Years 5 and 6 mixed House Hockey

This Wednesday, Years 5 and 6 played mixed house hockey. Each house played three group stage matches before a final and 3rd and 4th playoff to decide the final results. There was exciting hockey played throughout with lots of goals being scored from some great passing moves as well fantastic forward runs. 

The results were as follows:

1st - Buzzard 

2nd - Kestrel

3rd - Hawk

4th - Peregrine 

Well played to everyone involved and stars were awarded for great teamwork and play to Solomon S-B and Holly B from Buzzard, Henry O from Hawk, Rommy B from Kestrel and Ben W from Peregrine. 

Mr Orme

House Updates

On Monday the winning emblem designs were unveiled during the House Meetings. Well done to everyone who submitted a design! They were all incredible but, a special well done to the students who created the winning idea for their House. Each House also discussed their progress in the House of the Year competition and was updated with some of the more recent results. It is still very tight between all of the Houses and there are more points to be awarded before the Christmas break! 

Mr Gritton


Performing Arts News

While this week has of course been dominated by the Senior Production (more on that next week!), next Friday 3rd December is the annual Prep Christmas Concert. 

This involves the Junior Chamber Choir, The Ukes of Kent, Guitar trio, a few duets and some lovely soloists.

The concert starts at 7pm in the PA Hall and there will be mulled wine and mince pies available in Old Hall from 6.00pm.

Don't forget as well the school Carol Service the week after, and of course the Pre-prep Nativity!

Mr Rye

E-Safety Tips

What Parents Need to Know About Roblox

With more than 150 million users worldwide, Roblox is one of the most popular video games of recent times. Roblox allows users to create their own gaming experiences using Roblox Studio: building levels and games then allowing other people to play them. Similarly, players can play each other’s creations, either on their own or with other people online. While it’s a tool that can help foster creative thinking, Roblox is also intermittently in the news amid concerns over young users’ safety.

Click on the link to help you learn how to use Roblox safely: Roblox Information

Mr Boden

Weekly Wellbeing

With the darker evenings and colder weather this week, we are able to see and feel that Winter is almost here. For some people the darker mornings and the loss of daylight earlier in the afternoon can make it harder to get up in the morning, and lead to a general lowering of mood. If you feel you are somebody who is adversely affected by the changing of the seasons and find it is having a negative impact on your mental health and wellbeing, you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/about-sad/

This is a diagnosable condition suffered by some children and adults which is usually characterised by symptoms that reflect depression.

There are recognised treatments, which include - talking therapy, medication and light therapy.

This may not be you but a lot of people generally find the shorter days harder; there are things you can do if you are struggling with the lack of daylight. 

Try to ensure that you are making time to get outside in the fresh air, exercising and eating and drinking healthily - all of these will help to combat the reduced daylight hours’ effect on your physical and mental wellbeing.

Remember this is a time of withdrawal and renewal, so allow yourself time to enjoy the comfort and cosiness of home whilst taking time to look after yourself.

Also, it is a good excuse to have the cream and marshmallows on your hot chocolate!

Mrs Douglas


A Message from the School Nurses

This week the government have adjusted their advice on when to perform asymptomatic lateral flow tests:

"You are at higher risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 in crowded and enclosed spaces, where there are more people who might be infectious and where there is limited fresh air.  You may wish to take a rapid lateral flow test if it is expected that there will be a period of high risk that day. This includes spending time in crowded and enclosed spaces, or before visiting people who are at higher risk of severe illness if they get COVID-19."

The above applies to those of you who are coming to watch the Senior production "Moby Dick" this evening and tomorrow - please can we request that all audience members perform a LFD test before you attend (unless you've tested PCR positive in the last 90 days), to ensure you are free of Covid.  Staff and Senior pupils should also continue with their twice weekly tests on Sunday and Wednesday evenings please - do not forget to record results online.  More kits are coming home next week.

At School, we have unfortunately had some more Covid cases reported this week, concentrated in Pre-Prep and Prep School for now.  Please do remember that anyone with symptoms should have a PCR test done to rule out Covid 19.  Children who are poorly with other winter bugs may benefit from a day or two at home to get better, and to help reduce the spread of illness at school.  Thank you for all your support as we navigate our way through the last two weeks of this autumn term, battling the many winter bugs as we go.

Have a happy weekend everyone (Advent Calendars at the ready for next week!)

The School Nurses


PADoK News

????Christmas Hampers ????

Thanks to your wonderful donations we have managed to wrap up 19 amazing hampers!!


Ticket sales are now open £5 a book (£1 a ticket) at padok@dokschool.org
Please e-mail us with number of tickets/books required, the name you’d like written on your ticket and Name & Year Group of your child, and we will debit your end of term bill. Winners are drawn on 6th Dec at full School assembly. GOOD LUCK! 

PADoK Book Club

Focusing on the Christmas theme, our brand new book The Christmas Pig by JK RowlingThis is a book we can read with our children to get into the festive mood.

When Jack loses his beloved toy pig on Christmas Eve, the festive season seems to be ruined. But with the help of his trusty – if really, really annoying – new piggy present, Jack embarks on a thrilling adventure to find his favourite friend and bring them back home.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday 2nd December at 7pm to get our thoughts on the Christmas Pig and maybe enjoy a festive drink and nibble at the same time.

Mrs Phillips

Optional Senior School Hoodie

The Senior School hoodies have been redesigned by members of the School Council and the finished product can be seen above.  They have done a fantastic job at putting this design together and now finally getting to see the finished product.

This new hoodie is available from Stevenson's on their website: https://www.stevensons.co.uk/.  There is also the option to have your child's initials printed onto the front of the hoodie for a slight additional cost, something we would advise to avoid mixing up tops with other pupils. This hoodie is not an essential item of School uniform, so there is no expectation for pupils to have it.

If you wish to see the sample, please pop into the Main Office to see me and have a look at the new hoodie.

Mrs Woolgar

School Social Media

At Duke of Kent School we have three social media platforms; Instagram (dukeofkentschool), Twitter (@DoKSchool) and Facebook (Duke of Kent School).

Our Twitter and Facebook accounts are public however, our Instagram account is private to keep it strictly for the Duke of Kent School community only. To follow the School Instagram account you will need to request to follow the account. 

We recommend following all three accounts to receive push notifications with news, updates, educational articles, interactions with other schools, communities and public figures.

        

Miss Vernon

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It was such a joy to welcome back a past Duke of Kent School Deputy Head Boy, James Harrison 2013/14. He joined us for the opening of our brand new Science Laboratories. Thank you to everyone involved in the project and we are thrilled with our new Labs. #TheDoKWay #Alumni https://t.co/Ty1faeEo2B
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